EPA Honors Adobe for Eliminating Waste at Corporate HQ

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today at a ceremony honored Adobe with its 2012 Zero Waste Advocate award for the company’s waste management program that diverts 100 percent of solid waste from its San Jose, Calif. headquarters facility from landfills.

“Office waste is a significant part of the Bay Area’s trash and landfills across the country,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. “EPA commends Adobe for its outstanding work as an industry leader in reducing waste, setting an example for other companies to follow suit.”

The award was presented to Mike Bangs, Adobe’s Director of Global Facilities, at a ceremony in the company’s headquarters.

The company began its zero waste efforts in 2003 when it volunteered for a pilot composting and recycling program run by the City of San Jose. In addition to taking measures such as removing all trash bins and equipping its meeting and dining rooms with recycling and composting bins, Adobe supplied its cafeterias, a significant source of solid waste, with compostable dining ware.

Other measures, such as removing bottled water, installing filtered water dispensers as a bottled water alternative, and establishing a training program for Adobe employees and janitorial staff, were put into place to ensure waste was thoroughly diverted.

Adobe is one of 12 environmental award winners for the EPA Pacific Southwest region in 2012.

The EPA Pacific Southwest Region’s Environmental Awards program acknowledges commitments and significant contributions to protecting the environment in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Pacific Islands and tribal lands. Groups and individuals were selected from nominees received this year from businesses, government officials, tribes, media, academia, environmental organizations and community activists.